People’s Institute of rural development - PIRD is implementing the project ‘Elimination of Child Labor through Education’ in 30 Villages of Chakur tehsil of Latur district.

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बुधवार, 28 जनवरी 2009

Recent Project Activities

1.0 GRADETION OF CHILDREN IN STUDY CENTERS

Our staff classified the children mainly in four grads / classes by taking various analogical & logical tests. Throughout this classification, intelligence was the sole criteria. Other issues like the age & last class attended by the children were considered non accountable.

2.0 SYLLABUS FOR CHILDREN IN STUDY CENTRES

The syllabus for study centers was designed not only in accordance with regular textbooks but also keeping in mind the view of education through entertainment. Things like study of surroundings, Physical education, General knowledge and communication skills were given priority in the syllabus.

The syllabus for each month was given to our teaching staff in the monthly meetings. After end of each month, our teaching staff submitted the teaching report.

3.0 STUDY CENTRE CHECKING & MEETINGS WITH PARENTS

In this project, it’s been usual practice to visit & examine the study centers. Our monitoring staff visited each study center on an average 2 to 3 times per month. In these visits the regularity of students, availability of educational aids & progress of students have been checked.

Our monitoring staff also visited the parents of childlabour in order to spread awareness about education. This activity helped the regularity of students in study centers.

4.0 VISITS TO VILAGE SCHOOLS

In the domain area of project that is 30 villages, our staff visited government & private schools. In these visits our staff talked with Principals and teachers on the issue of decreasing number of students in schools and the ways to improve this situation. Our staff got co-operation by teachers & they provided us with the list of students who had left the school. Teachers also helped us in meetings with parents.

In first week of every month, a meeting of total staff related to this project used to hold. During these meetings, reporting of previous month’s work & planning for next month’s work used to be done.

7.0 FACT SHEET

Last year in June 2007, total 65 childlabour took readmission in schools. In our follow up, it is found that out of these 65 children, 57 students are going regularly to schools. 8 students had left the school. Out of these 8 students, 2 students have lost interest in studies owing to their long gap in studies and 6 had to leave the school due to critical economic conditions at their home. These 8 children are now studying in our study centers.

This year in June 2008, total 30 childlabour took readmission in schools.

Our Location

The Hindu - Front Page

Why we working on childlabour issue ?

To many, the word development is synonymous with material and physical progress. To us, development has to have a human face. Many consider no wrong when the fruits of development reach to only a handful of people. But we get concerned with the course of development, which provides no work guarantee for adults on the one hand and lets child labour to flourish on the other hand, as it’s cheap and easily exploitable. It is to demonstrate our concern towards social discrimination that we decided to translate it into action.

Eradication of Child Labour – we came face to face with the issue of child labour, during our efforts to organize agricultural labourers on issues of their employment and wages. Since children can be employed on low wages and are vulnerable to exploitation, profit-seeking landowners prefer them to their adult counterparts. Poverty, lack of adequate schooling facilities, apathy towards education formed some of the major causes forcing children to work. Moreover the lack of social recognition to and sensitivity towards working children’s reality was more appalling. Since 1988 we initiated sustained campaign to create social awareness against child labour.

Initially we started non-formal education centers in order to give educational inputs to working children, and readmit them to school as far as possible. During 1991-95, PIRD run NFE centers in 80 villages involving over 3000 children. We also initiated public campaigns, especially in religious festivals where thousands of people turn up, to draw attention to the severity of the issue and make an appeal for social intervention. With the same objective, in 1996 and 1998, PIRD organized two rallies in Marathwada region covering 10 districts.

In 1996 we carried out an innovative programme – Bridge Course Camp - that was a two months residential school for working children. Of the initial enrollment of 125 children, 85 actually stayed through camp. The camp was so designed as to develop their educational capabilities to a level of school readmission. Post camp 53 children were admitted to school.

Presently we have initiated ‘Education Awareness Campaign’ in five talukas, to seek villagers’ participation in checking child labour in their villages and ensuring cent percent school enrollment. Through this campaign we interact with major actors in villages, such as Grampanchayt representatives, Gram Shikshan Samittee members and members of Women & Youth Mandals, to sensitize them and motivate them to take a proactive role in checking child labour. By staying with villagers and through various cultural activities and surveys, we create a conducive atmosphere for complete school enrollment. We also run study centers to support school going children.

Through these efforts we have been able to rescue over 10000 children from forced labour and enroll them in schoolHow kids teach themselves